Tips and Help

Need a Set of Finish Samples?

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We can send you a full set of 12 Finish Sample Tiles, each in one of our hand-applied lighting and hardware finishes, for $30 (including shipping). Place an order of $200 or more within 90 days, and the charge will be deducted from your order total.

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Which finishes are right for my home?

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Most antique lighting and hardware, regardless of era, was built in a choice of finishes, as our exclusive products are today. The "right" finish suits your decor and taste, and the product's location.

See which finishes apply to lighting, and which apply to hardware, and read on for selection tips.

• Look at the vintage hardware in your home. Antique door hardware, switchplates and coverplates give clues to which original finishes or patinas you can match.

• Polished and Brushed Nickel were used in virtually all kitchens and bathrooms until the mid 1930s when Polished Chrome became popular.

• Polished Brass was the Victorian era favorite. It suited the fastidiousness of a time when the middle class was defined as "households with 1-2 servants" who polished the brass, among other things. If fastidiousness and servants don't describe your household, know that Lacquered Polished Brass needs no further polishing.

• Brushed Brass, the standard of the Craftsman era, Old Brass, Burnished Antique Brass, and Oil-Rubbed Bronze resemble the natural patina unlacquered brass acquires over time, as does Antique Copper for old copper-plated brass lighting.

• Bronze Gilt, alone or combined with Polished Nickel, was a popular mid-century lighting finish, as seen in our Mid-Century Modern collection.

• Because of their durability, Nickel, Chrome, and painted finishes like Black Enamel remain traditional outdoor lighting finishes.

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Which finishes are best for kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors?

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For lighting and hardware exposed to humidity and heat, you can't beat Polished Nickel, Brushed Nickel, and Polished Chrome.

Polished Nickel was the traditional choice for turn-of-the-century kitchens and bathrooms - and with good reason. Nickel plating, which has a warm, amber hue, provides a hard, protective shell for solid brass fixtures, making them less susceptible to the pitting caused by humidity. Chrome plating, which has a much cooler, blueish hue, came about with the advent of automobile mass production.

Lacquered brass finishes eventually pit in bathrooms and other humid or hot locations. Our Polished Nickel and Polished Chrome need no lacquer to preserve their durability. We also don't lacquer our Brushed Nickel lighting, but we do lacquer our Brushed Nickel hardware.

Tip: If you're ordering Porch Lighting and if chrome and nickel aren't your cup of tea, we suggest painted Black Enamel or Oil-Rubbed Bronze, dark finishes which are the least likely lacquered finishes to show pitting.

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Which lighting finishes are lacquered?

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We add a durable, clear, baked-on lacquer to protect some of the more delicate finishes available on our Exclusive product light fixtures:

• Brushed Brass
• Lacquered Polished Brass
• Antique Copper
• Burnished Antique Brass
• Oil-Rubbed Bronze
• Bronze Gilt
• Old Brass

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Are these real finish images?

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We've made every effort to make our rectangular finish samples as accurate as possible. These little rectangles are photos, however, color representation on any website is subject to many variables, such as personal computer settings and your computer monitor's capabilities.

Once you choose a finish, you'll see it rendered on your fixture. Although it's probably obvious, we'll state that these digital renderings are approximations, not actual photos. Consider them a hint of what your fixture's finish will look like.

For those who want to see the real thing, we highly recommend a finish sample pack, available for a small refundable charge.

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